-Gina Bazer
" />-Gina Bazer
" />-Gina Bazer
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We just got word that Antiquaire, a fantastic high-end European antiques shop in Highland Park, is getting two new containers from Europe (the first on November 10, followed by another December 1). “There will be several gorgeous French walnut dining tables ready for Thanksgiving delivery,” reports owner Melissa Edelman. As for the turkey, you’re on your own.
-Gina Bazer
Grasshopper 510 just got some cozy—and green—throws from Yumi & Laurie. Made of organic cotton and bamboo, they are just right for fall and winter. After all, this unseasonably beautiful weather won’t last forever.
—Gina Bazer
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I just checked out Bucktown’s Mongo Home (1753 N. Damen Ave., 773-486-6200), a joint venture between the owners of Architectural Artifacts and Urban Remains, both of which are very cool but pretty messy and unedited salvage shops. This more-polished destination is amazing! It has unique pieces galore, from a working vintage foosball table ($2,400) to a great little pair of knee-high nude iron statues ($4,800 for both) that would be great in a foyer. There is a lot of furniture, too. I just about flipped when I saw the low, wide vintage vaulting bench from the Czech Republic shown above (and not because I was channeling my gymnastics days—I cannot even do a cartwheel!). I’ve been on a hunt for an unusual (and unusually large coffee table) for months now and this one was perfect for my needs, though at $4,800 a little out of my price range. Still, there was plenty there that was affordable, including a whole pile of charcoal sketches on charmingly yellowing old paper for $55 a drawing. Mongo Home also offers free consultations by on-site interior decorator Kara O’Connor, who will come to your home and help you figure out if the piece you are considering will work for your space.
—Gina Bazer
From blankets to pillows, when it comes to English Cottage owner Julie Fernstrom, everything is devoted to plaid
An iconic Beaux Arts apartment on the Gold Coast gets a respectful (and totally cool) makeover
The latest scoop on openings, relocation’s, happenings, and other notable information
How to revive an old mill town? Two words: antique shops
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Interior designer Susan Fredman’s new shop, At Home in the City, celebrated its grand opening last night with a crowded bash. The River North space-part store, part design workshop-features tabletop items, kitchen accessories, throws, and all matter of home accessories (love the Bon Bon ottoman of looped wool), including about a dozen private-label items available only here. I really loved the small dog paintings by Bruce McGaw (affordable at $50 each) and the way they were grouped on a wall. I also loved the chairs that look like chicken wire by Design Workshop ($362 each). This is the second retail venture for Fredman (pictured here); her other is a more resort-home-oriented store, At Home With Nature, on Red Arrow Highway in Union Pier, Michigan.
-JAN PARR
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What you gotta love about the world of design is that even something as mundane as a trashcan can become a status symbol for its clean lines and functional simplicity. When the sleek Vipp catalog arrived in my InBox, I had an inkling that perhaps my own stainless steel push-pedal bin from the Container Store was a knock-off or, if not that, then it was simply very pedestrian compared to the Vipp, which will set you back $280 for a 14-inch high size at Waterworks. Then I checked out Vipps’s website and read about how the company was founded in 1939 by a Dane, followed by a press release about how a Vipp that Bono had co-designed for a charity auction drew $30,000 (granted Bono could get a cool grand for a hanky he’s sneezed into). Well I have to say, I like these status bins—and the company just came out with a cool push-pedal laundry basket ($625). The toilet brush is pretty darn cute, too; for $200, it better be. Available at Waterworks.
—Gina Bazer
The French were out in full force last week at Golden Triangle, famed showroom of Asian furniture. That’s no typo, the genius of Golden Triangle’s merchandise is that it mixes so well with so many other styles. The interior designer Martial and his pal Didier Milleriot, who owned Le Magasin, were among those at this party to celebrate Golden Triangle’s new line of modern furniture handcrafted from ancient woods, called Exposed (see table in photo). We also spotted furniture designer Jill Salisbury of EL: Environmental Language. If you haven’t been to Golden Triangle’s relatively new location, this is as good a reason as any to stop in. The showroom is a stunner and this collection is great.
—JAN PARR
